Alonzo twfiedale



(No Model.) A. TWEEDALE.

KEY RING.

No. 533,385. Patented Jan. 29, 1895.

dztnesset 1 enable others skilled in the ALONZ t 'rwEEnn n, or WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA.

K E'Y- m N- c.

srscmoarrou forming pm or Letters Patent-No. 533,385,

- em nated mm. 1894.

:To' d1} whonitjt mav'ert' mlie t;known.that I, ALONZO TWEEDALE, a citizen of the United Statesiresidin g at Washington-,-in the--I)istrict of; Columbia, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Key Rings pnSupports; and I 'do hereby declare the following to be .a full; clear, and exact descriptionof theinvenlion, such as will art to whichit appertains'to make and use the same,"

My invention relates to improvements in key-rings" or sup. orts, and hasforr-its object the production such rings and combination therewith of a ready and convenientmeans of attachment to a garment of the user.

It is a well known factthat rings ina large variety of form'sare in almost universal use by pers'onsjcarryingkeys, for the purpose of "bunehing and preserving them against less both frequently lost tions-arising from a ;the user can withdraw, as

scribed -rier, butthis course tally parted from various butitisequally well known that rings and keys contained thereon are when no precaution is taken to prevent misplacement; As a remedy for this evil it is a common expedient to chain such ringand keys to the clothing of the caris open to serious objecpositive limit piaced upon the use of said keys by the length of chain employed, the necessity of wholly removing a key from the lock each time it is usedbefore well as the fre-' quency with which sueh chains are accidencau-ses. In contradist'inction to this and for the purpose of rectifying these evils the hereinafter described combined key-ring or support and attachment.

has been devised whereby a number of keys may be secured in an'orderly though detach able manner to the clothing of the-carrier, thus being rendered easy of access at all times, in their "use-by the height or position of locks, and moreover, keys thus secured .ar possessed of the special advantage'th-at they in no way tend-to tear out or wear out the pockets of the carrier, all as will later appear. 4

The invention will now be particularly deand pointedout in the claims follow ing.

' partof thisspecification, and in which-like mED Sims.

in "the accompanyingdrawing'swhich form" dated January 29 1895-. Serial 1n 510,215. (a, model.)

Figure 1, represents a perspective view of my invention in its flat or preferred form; Fig. 2, a side view of same; and Figs. 3 and 4, views corresponding with Figs. 1 and 2 respectiyely, representing. one modification oi the device formed of round metal or wire.

Reference-being had to the drawingsand lct-' ters thereon Aindicates'the shank of my in veution being provided at a convenient position with an upwardly projectihg barb B which is preferably formed by asimple bend and return bend of the shank itself as most clearly sh wn by Fig.2. -At its upper end shank A is spring hill 0 which is-bent upon said shank, .is brought into close relation with barb 1; thereof, and finally terminates in the downwardly extending hook D. Immediately-be low barb B, shank A. is bifurcated as shown at a and at b b the bifurcations E, l thus formed, are oppositely disposed, each being provided with areturn'bend and folding upon the other, thus constituting a spring splitring the two members. whereof are preferably in dilferent, though adjacent, planes and terminate in close proximity to the opposite sides of shank A at b b.

At 6 b it will be observed bifurcation E is elf-set slightly to receive the end of its corresponding member F, and in like manner bifurcation F is elf-set .to receive the end of its corresponding member E thus rendering the ring more compact and to adegree embedding the free ends of its two members. This .being substantially the construction of myinvention preference is given to the flat form illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2 owing to its slim plicity, cheapness; ease of construction, and durability, the device in this form being struck up from a single strip oi sheet metal of a standard width andth-ickness, same bcing bifurcated,.bent. as shown, and. proper] y tempered. It will be understood however,

and 4 is particularly well adapted to the em-: bodiment of my invention, and in like man rangement of parts; may be made and substitute'd for those-herein shown and described without in the least departing from the'spirit also provided with a contiguous that the wire form illustrated .by l-igs.

I letters indicate like parts whercvercmployod her many changes of configuration and ar I 4,0 where it has been of my inventionas for instance members E, I of the split-ring shown, may if desired be arranged and adapted to rest normally in the same plane rather than one above the other; and likewise barb 13 may be formed of an outwardly extending tongue out from the body of shank A, or an independent tongue may be secured thereto.

In its preferred form however, the use and operation of my invention is as follows: A key may be introduced to the ring by starting' the eye thereof upon the free end of one ring member E or F and following same to a point where the key passes the free end ot the opposite member, whereupon the eye of said key incloses both members of the ring and the key descends to the lowermost position thereon. Similarly an assortment of keys may be bunched upon the ring, and when; so secured the whole attached to the clothing of the user by inserting the fold of a pocket or waistband between the bill O and barb B the spring of said bill permitting such adjustment. When in this position it will be observed the device is secure against accidental dislodgment owing to the bite taken upon the garment by barb B co-actin'g with the spring hook C; vice is capable of being instantly removed for use by the insertion of a finger of the user beneath the hook D thus relieving the pressure of spring hill 0.

In practice the most convenient point of attachment as above set forth is found to be the waistband of trousers immediately'ab'ove a hip pocket into which the lower end of the keys may, if desired,be permitted to rest, but special precaution is taken ..to prevent such keys descending to the bottom of the pocket found by experience they but at the same time the dewould form an obstruction and. be particularly wearing upon the pocket itself.

Upon reference to Figs. 1 and 3 it will be observed that provision is made for the removal of a particular key or keys without dis= placing the rest, this being accomplished by advancing all preceding keys into the bifurcating slot a, whey they remain until the key in, question is inserted beneath the free end of one ring member E- or F whereupon it is forced through the slit of said ring and out.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a key-support the combination with a shank bearing a suitable bill and barb, and

an overlapping split-ring formed upon theend of said shank with its end spring terminating adjacent to the shank, substantially as described.

2. In a key-support made from a continuous piece of metal, the combination with a bifnreated shank bearing a suitable billand barb, and a split-ring consisting of oppositely disposed members beginning at a point below the end of said bifurcation andterminating adjacent thereto, substantially as described.

3. In a key support made from a single piece of metal the combination of a shank bifurcated at its lower end and terminating in oppositely disposed overlapping ring members, a barb formed upon said shank; and a spring hook bent thereon, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I subscribe my signature'in presen'c'e'ot two 'WiLIIGSSGS..

ALONZO TWEEDALE.

Witnesses:

WM. E. Dyan, Hues M. STERLING.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 533,385, granted January 29, 1895, upon the epbiieation of Alonzo Tweedale, of Washington, District of Columbia, for an improvement in Key-Binga, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: In line 57, page 2, the word end should read ends, and the word spring should be stricken out; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein to make the same conform to the record of the ease in the Patent Ot'fiee.

Signed, counter-signed, and sealed this 5th day of February, A. D. 1895.

rem. .mo. M. REYNOLDS,

Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Counter-signed:

Joan S. SEYMOUR,

Commissioner of Patents. 

